Scar: Center decision as tough as any – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

During this past training camp, Koppen was a part of a competition at the center spot that was eventually won by Ryan Wendell, who has played every offensive snap through eight games this season. Wendell’s performance drew the praise of his position coach, Dante Scarnecchia, who was asked if Wendell has done an excellent job of stepping in to replace Koppen. “I think he has. Clearly the obvious is that he replaced a very, very good football player and a very popular football player,” Scarnecchia said. “That’s as tough of a decision as we’ve ever had around here for those reasons.